The electoral college continues to provide all these benefits to our country. How does the winner take all system in the electoral college operate. Of these mechanisms, the use of winnertakeall rules stands out as the least defensible. Ch 9 questions at austin community college studyblue.
How does the winnertakeall system in the electoral college operate. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Winnertakeall is contrasted with proportional representation, in which more than one political party or group can. In contrast to other aspects of the electoral college, winnertakeall systems were not part of the electoral colleges original. For the second time in 16 years and for the fourth time in u. Winnertakeall electoral college systems challenged. The states adopted winnertakeall rules to enhance their role in. Electoral college change from winnertakeall system gains. An idea for electoral college reform that both parties. As you wait for election results to come in, watch these three short videos to learn more about the electoral college and the mess it is. Most of them are democrats, but some are republicans. I can imagine a crisis so profound that it will throw the american system into chaos. The electoral college keep it, but reform it britannica blog.
Any vote for the losing candidate doesnt count at the federal levela bipartisan issue. The electoral college has 538 members, and each state has the same number of electors as it does house and senate seats. The electoral college is unfairly weighted towards the smaller states as well. Without the winnertakeall provision of the electoral college, america would have a multipleparty system, since there would be less reason to support one of the two major partys candidates. Opinion end winnertakeall in the electoral college the. Winner take all is contrasted with proportional representation, in which more than one political party or group can elect offices in proportion to their voting power. Independent candidates and third parties cannot adequately compete with the two major parties because of the winnertakeall nature of the electoral college. The electoral college tends to be unsupported because it is not understood. Nov 01, 2004 the electoral college system, when combined with the winner take all rule, tends to magnify the margin of victory, giving the victor a certain and demonstrable election outcome.
They claim that its method of indirect election makes it undemocratic. Some argue its an unfair system because it allows for the possibility that the candidate. The party system has completely hijacked the electoral college system. Dec 04, 2016 in summary, a winner take all system of allocating electors by the states denies the minority of voters within each state any representation whatsoever within the electoral college and ultimately. The electoral college was initially created as a mechanism to allow a panel of learned citizens to override the will of the people if the. Why is the winner take all system of the electoral college. M any people whine that using the electoral college instead of the popular vote and majority rule is undemocratic. The third major issue with the electoral college lies in its perpetuation of the twoparty system, something that a majority of americans seem to want to do away with but cannot escape. Every american should be guaranteed that their vote counts. Blacker, has said repeatedly that there is no command that the states choose their presidential electors in one way only.
Sep 20, 2016 in fact, through how the electoral college is made up, how the winner take all system is unfair to even the candidates, how swing states basically make up who wins, and through the process of gerrymandering, these things are actually what decides who sits in the oval office and not the vote of the people. With the winnertakeall system of the electoral college, all electors must vote for the candidate who wins in the popular vote of the state in the presidential election, no matter how close the vote is. A trouble prone and undemocratic system the electoral college is an institution that may have served a purpose 200 years ago when the founding fathers needed a system that would be met with approval by both large and small states. Nov 26, 2016 this electoral vote tie shows how drastically the winnertakeall system benefited donald trump in this election. Feb 21, 2018 civil rights activists are challenging the legality of four states winnertakeall method of allocating u. In any close presidential vote, it is also a traditionnow verging on a requirementthat we have a brief debate over the electoral college. A democracy serves the people but the winner take all only voices the electoral voters. Opinion end winnertakeall in the electoral college. Despite its intentions, the electoral college does not. The electoral college is the system used by the united states to elect its lead executive.
All states except for maine and nebraska follow a winnertakesall approach in. Comparatively, individuals in wyoming have nearly four times the power in the electoral college as californians. The national popular vote, explained brennan center for justice. They say the electoral college system, as opposed to a simple majority vote, distorts the oneperson, onevote principle of.
The failure of americas winner take all politics steven hill. Explain why some people say that the winner take all. Electoral college is undemocratic des moines register. But the most significant constitutional point is that the supreme court, beginning with a decision in 1892 in the case of mcpherson v. Oct 18, 2016 the electoral college has 538 members, and each state has the same number of electors as it does house and senate seats. While others may say that america is a republic, the voting system is advertised as democratic, and therefore should be. Yet, the electoral college and the winnertakeall rule employed by most states isnt without controversy. The reason for this is that we have winnertakeall system. The electoral college system, when combined with the winnertakeall rule, tends to magnify the margin of victory, giving the victor a certain and demonstrable election outcome. What is your opinion if we remove the winnertakeall system. Nov 14, 2016 that would actually be a very good compromise. Some argue that the electoral college was part of the original constitutional compromise, and if the senate imbalance is constitutional regardless of the inequality, so is the electoral college. No further attempts to reform, amend, or abolish the electoral college system have. Another responder writes that i think the electoral college can be salvaged by eliminating the winner take all system.
The 1892 ruling, in fact, upheld a decision by the michigan legislature to switch from a winnertakeall to a districtbydistrict system. Civil rights activists are challenging the legality of four states winnertakeall method of allocating u. In the majority of states, it is a winner takes all system. It is archaic and does not really protect smaller rural states from the unruly masses found in large cities. Explain one way in which the winnertakeall feature of the electoral college affects how presidential candidates from the two major parties run their campaign. And the core principle of that decision that it is up to the states to choose the method was reaffirmed by the court in its decision in bush v. Winnertakeall electoral practice faces voterrights challenge. Winner take all or winner takes all is an electoral system in which a single political party or group can elect every office within a given district or jurisdiction. One point is earned for a description of a singlemember, winnertakeall electoral system.
What i am not okay with is the silly winnertakesall system that most states use. The question here is not the electoral college itself, but the winnertakeall system that creates the significant imbalance of apportionment. Dec 02, 2016 end winner take all in the electoral college. Nov 15, 2016 the electoral college is an outdated, undemocratic system that does not reflect our modern society, and it needs to change immediately. Its known as the winner take all system, where all electors go with the candidate who wins the popular vote regardless of how close the vote is. What is the winnertakesall rule in the presidential. The electoral college is not democratic vanity fair. What i do resent is that the electoral college, except for maine and nebraska, is a statebystate winnertakeall, rather than. This is where we get to the irony of the whole thing. The winner take all system of the electoral college is undemocratic because it is does not voice the majority of people. This electoral vote tie shows how drastically the winnertakeall system benefited donald trump in this election. What is your opinion if we remove the winnertakeall. Discontent with the electoral college is a real factor in america.
The electoral college favors the smaller states with disproportionate voting power. Individual candidates compete in a specific territory for an office or seat. What i do resent is that the electoral college, except for maine and nebraska, is a statebystate winner take all, rather than. The electoral college is an outdated, undemocratic system that does not reflect our modern society, and it needs to change immediately. Clearly, these people do not understand that the electoral college is the most undemocratic part of our democracy. Jan 29, 20 the 1892 ruling, in fact, upheld a decision by the michigan legislature to switch from a winnertakeall to a districtbydistrict system. Winner take all system explained flashcards quizlet.
Winnertakeall or winnertakesall is an electoral system in which a single political party or group can elect every office within a given district or jurisdiction. Additionally, under the proportional electoral vote system, thirdparty candidates gary johnson, jill stein, and evan mcmullin arent completely shut out in the electoral college, although johnson does significantly better than. Gale offers an overview of the electoral college, derived from scholarly sources. The electoral college in the american political system washington. Give students a few minutes to read the handout and the instructions on it. The electoral college is antidemocraticand thats a good. Explain one way in which the winner take all feature of the electoral college affects how presidential candidates from the two major parties run their campaign. Usually, a state will be either republican or democratic. Its a winnertakeall system used by 48 states that critics hope to have ultimately ruled unconstitutional.
Very often they are skewed by geography, ethnicity, race, or other factors. Hillary clinton blamed the electoral college for her stunning defeat in the 2016 presidential election in her latest memoirs, what happened. The winnertakeall state rules for the electoral college. The equal protection argument against winner take all in. Thanks to the current system, small states are given much more weight and candidates only bother to show up in a few tightly contested states. But the present electoral college, with its pledged delegates and winnertakeall nonsense, is simply indefensible.
Explain why some people say that the winner take all system. Supreme court takes up presidential electoral college. In fact, people do not even technically vote for a candidate, they vote for electors who are pledged but not required to vote for a candidate when the electoral college convenes. In fact, through how the electoral college is made up, how the winner take all system is unfair to even the. Strategy for abolishing the electoral college detailed in new book.
I have never heard any defense of it, let alone a good one. The electoral college is an undemocratic mess whowhatwhy. The winnertakeall electoral college system used by 48. In summary, a winnertakeall system of allocating electors by the states denies the minority of voters within each state any representation whatsoever within the. Advocates of the system say that this uneven power forces politicians to pay attention to smaller states, which would otherwise be ignored.
Its known as the winnertakeall system, where all electors go with the candidate who wins the popular vote regardless of how close the vote is. Without the winnertakeall provision of the electoral college, america would likely have a multipleparty system, since there would be less reason to support one of the two major partys candidates. Dec, 2016 in any close presidential vote, it is also a traditionnow verging on a requirementthat we have a brief debate over the electoral college. Nov 03, 2016 yet, the electoral college and the winner take all rule employed by most states isnt without controversy. Welds home state of massachusetts has 40 state senators elected from 40 districts. Most are not of the pure one person, one vote kind. Even more troubling about the electoral college system is that relatively. Since the president is the only nationally elected official, it is the prize of the winning the presidency that keeps the two parties from splitting. The electoral college is profoundly undemocratic by design. Ap united states government and politics 2007 scoring guidelines question 1 5 points part a. Nov 08, 2016 the electoral college is an antidemocratic institution.
A proposal to dump nebraskas distinctive presidential electoral system and establish a statewide winnertakeall vote was trapped tuesday by a filibuster and buried by the legislature. In the smallest state, wyoming, each elector represents 200,000 people. Because the president is the only nationally elected official, the prize of the winning the presidency keeps the two parties from splitting. Frq electoral college question 1 electoral college a. It is very hard to change that, and because of this, third party candidates dont have a shot of winning a lot of states. Nov 08, 2016 thanks to the current system, small states are given much more weight and candidates only bother to show up in a few tightly contested states. Explain why the winnertakeall election system in the united states favors a two party system. Nov 14, 2016 for the second time in 16 years and for the fourth time in u. Winnertakeall electoral practice faces voterrights. The electoral college is one of the most undemocratic features of u. Some have claimed that the electoral college is one of the most dangerous institutions in american politics.
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